THE PAMPAS. 



203 



was interesting intelligence ; and the conversa- 

 tion was rendered more so by the excited 

 manner of the gaucho who was speaking. 

 His eyes turned wistfully, every now and then, 

 in the direction in which some dogs were bark- 

 ing ; and he stopped occasionally to look out of 

 the shed. Once we all got up at hearing the 

 trampling of horses galloping towards the hut ; 

 but it proved to be some gauchos returning 

 home. 



A hasty meal in our sleeping hut was almost 

 prevented by the mosquitoes, which we tried in 

 vain to smoke out, by burning dried horse dung 

 on the floor. We passed a restless night with- 

 out undressing. Every hoarse growl seemed to 

 startle us from sleep, and altogether we felt not 

 a little uncomfortable. Like Richard from his 

 dream, we, too, might have started up with 

 " give me another horse V* and a fleet one it 



